Q vs the Ori & Ancients
by RogerD
Summary: Q decides to broaden his travel plans and go to another universe. The Federation evolve past the Q and who realise what their Civil War was about, and advance with them.
1. Chapter 1

Chaptre 1 - This is completely AU to my other stories.

I am a Q, one of a race of omnipotent beings that watch, and regulate the multiverse. At this point in 'time', and I use that word very loosely, I was very very bored. One of my fellow Q had reported the birth of another universe a few billion years ago, and it was nothing out of the ordinary. Other than that, no other fellows had been there. This was too good a chance to pass up. Influence a whole universe without my fellows to interfere. Off I went in a Q flash.

I, Q floated and watched the battle scene before me with boredom. One spaceship is like any other. The Ori battleships had just come through a huge wormhole. They were quite easily destroying their enemies, the few Jaffa ships, earth X-103's, and an Asgard battleship. So far the Ori ships had not received any damage through their shields.

Within a few minutes all were dead. I felt the Ori seek out an individual, an extinguished consciousness, and revive him. I watched and used my senses to understand what interested these ascended beings in a lower lifeform. I quickly realised this being, Daniel Jackson, had twice been ascended and chose to return to normal three dimensional space. Most interesting indeed.

They, Daniel & the Ori, were currently not in normal space; but a small 'subspace dimension' outside but still attached to this universe. The Ori appeared to be a huge column of flames, each flame a separate life in itself.

"We are the Ori" they said, "we are true gods. We will make you our emissary to your people showing that even in death there is no release" they intoned. Such drama queens honestly!

It is probably useful here if I mention a few facts. Ascended beings have delusions of grandeur, and have transcended 'normal space-time'. They have managed to occupy the fourth dimension, and are currently in the process of reaching into the fifth dimension; giving them access to wonders beyond their imagination. They have no idea what they will encounter, really they haven't. For some reason they seem to think they are the only ones to have done this. To the Q, this is quite, erm; limited.

We are omnipotent, and occupy all eleven dimensions, and a few other besides-so there! I appeared in my usual flash of light, in a Starfleet uniform, rank- Admiral. Would you expect any less?

"Hello Daniel" I said in tones meant to instill fear. He looked at me, adjusting his glasses "You are quite dead" I replied quite cheerfully.

"Who are you" he replied.

"The Ancients have no right in this galaxy. We will destroy you" the Ori stated. How two dimensional is that? You can see what I mean about delusions?

"I was talking to the _human_" I replied, using the latter word like it was a disease. The Ori were getting quite restless, and thought I was one of those boring ascended types in the Milky Way that sat about and contemplated their 4th dimensional testicles. Such limited beings.

To understand the attitude of Q superiority is easy. We refer to those that exist in three dimensional space as lower lifeforms, quite simply, because you are. It took us around one galactic rotation to agree you were alive, and a further two galactic rotations that you were intelligent. To the Q you are of no consequence. There you are I've said, hope you aren't offended? Do I care? Not one jot. The best analogy would be a goldfish in bowl, opening and closing it's mouth all the time with nothing intelligible coming out. That is how you appear to us; and that's giving the goldfish far too much credit.

"You're not an Ori are you" Daniel asked. For a human he was quite bright, nah only kidding. I could feel the Ori draw their collective 4th dimensional powers, and would at any minute be ready to attack.

"I am Q" I answered helpfully. To the intelligent that would explain everything, as it was….well?

"Isn't that a letter in the alphabet?" Gee, like I've not heard that one before. It's a bit like the comment to a doorman "I thought you be bigger".

"Yes it is also the my name and the name of my species"

"What about others in your race"

"All called Q. But don't fooled, my name is four light years long". It was at this point Daniel made like a goldfish. Open, close. Open & close. Looked almost like an exercise routine.

"Four light years, you're joking?"

"Actually I wasn't" I replied. It was at this point the Ori collective might hit me. To Daniel's limited senses the air around me would appear to shimmer with heat. For my for part I just looked at my fingernails in boredom. I turned my attention toward the Ori.

"You do realise that you resemble part Organian, and part Dowud" I began. It's actually pronounced Dowood, but I digress. I paused to take a breath; which was really a complete affectation on my part and continued "and the look doesn't suit you" I finished and snapped my fingers. One flame vanished in a Q flash.

"What just happened" inquired Daniel. Obviously a keen observer.

"Where is our fellow Ori?" they asked. I stood there and carried on contemplating my nails for a second. How to explain to the limited beings that it was as though that particular Ori had never existed, only ascended and those on the cusp of existence would remember anything, that's Daniel by the way.

"Gone" I started to explain, and decided on "just gone, forever. Poof" I explained blowing on my fingers as I flexed them. That is until I or another Q decided to undo my actions but they didn't know that.

"Where has it, he gone to?" asked Daniel. The Ori were looking worried, although to Daniel's metaphysical eyes would not see it.

"Wiped away as though it never existed" I said starting to get annoyed.

"You can't do that" Daniel started to protest my actions.

"I can do anything I like" I said this with menace again, and waved my hand like I was swatting a flying insect away from me. The Ori vanished as I sent them to a distant part of the universe. I didn't really care where, just away from me. Honest!

"What happened? Did you destroy all of them" inquired Daniel.

"Just sent them away"

"Where?"

"Somewhere else" I replied.

"Their lives, no matter how insignificant to you, they don't deserve that" Daniel began to lecture me. Me a Q! If he thought this was game he had no idea.

Incidentally, the last few 'games' I had played with the Federation, namely Jean-Luc, and Kathy were very amusing. Making Picard realise the temporal paradox, it surely addled his French brain. Convincing Kathy that there had been a Q civil war, and even better that I had a son, ingenious! The son was obviously me in disguise.

The Q Continuum exists in the cusp between moments, we could sit there an eternity and no time would pass in the multiverse. There is a reason we did this. Even the Q fear the final implosion of the multiverse, when it will 'tick' no longer, when even our Immortal existence will be wiped away. Hence living in between moments means for us this will never happen unless we travel far enough into the 'future'.

Anyway back to the matter in hand. They would need help here to defeat the Ori, and I knew just the people who could help. I clicked my fingers, and sent Daniel's consciousness back one month.


	2. The Mystery

Chapter 2

I decided the best way to help SGC out would be to bring my human 'sparring partner' or pet, Jean-Luc, into the mix; plus they would learn some valuable lessons. Now when it came to 'stuffy', he was it, but despite my nature he would stand his ground no matter what. Something, I would have said admire and that is a bit strong. Mmmm.. yes accept in a pet. The good thing is that I didn't need to feed or take them for walks.

Where was I? Oh yes stuffy. The Alterans, also known as the Ancients, remember I said they were boring? They were also slightly more advanced than the Ori, although they neither knew it. The Ori used religion to hide the 'trappings' of power, instead of science and understanding to advance. Bonus points for the Alterans.

If I had to compile a list of races who had squandered 'potential', any guesses who it would be? Have I ever told you about the Gallifreyans? They had a complex civilisation and controlled the use of time travel in almost every galaxy in their universe, anyone they did not deem worthy had it removed from them, whether they liked it or not. They had the chance to evolve at several points in their reasonably long history like the Alterans. They always found an excuse and now they're dead. You what they say, 'nobody likes a quitter'.

What's more at the height of their technology they created semi-sentient time machines, almost with the equivalent power of an Ori, that possessed vast amounts of 4th dimensional energy. As it was, the machines were born with limited intelligence, and unable to evolve, so the Timelords were able to dominate and control them. A great shame really. All in all a bit of a joke, they create a machine that exceeded them. Isn't it usually the way?

I went to visit Jean-Luc on the Enterprise, or what remained of it as they were currently 'limping' back to a Starbase for yet more repairs after killing his clone-Praetor Shinzon. It's a good job it wasn't the 20th Century, he'd never get insured with the amount of accidents he has. You could just imagine the conversation-

"Excuse me someone has just blown a hole in my car, can I have a courtesy vehicle that my enemies can blow up some more?"

"Well well Jean-Luc" I said appearing in my usual flash of light.

"Q" Picard began "What do you want?" He did not look happy.

"Aren't we a bit light on certain crew" I asked. Perhaps I should have sounded more sympathetic.

"You know damn well we have just lost Data, Q!" he continued in his annoying tones. It has been my experience that mortals have this grieving process for loved ones hoping they've gone somewhere better. I decided to remind Jean-Luc of an earlier encounter with me.

"I know, it's gets you right here" I said tapping the left side of chest above my heart with my right hand. All of a sudden Jean-Luc's face went from angry to bemused, to doubtful and then back to angry again. Do not let anyone tell you Jean-Luc cannot express himself.

"This is not a game dammit. Only you could be so heartless!" The other bridge crew did not appear happy to see me either, some looks were less than friendly.

"Perhaps you would like me to bring him back?" I inquired. I could too.

"No!" he almost screamed at me, and then he went calm again "it's not what he would have wanted"

"I agree. To be indebted _to you_" said Riker adding emphasis on the two last words making it sound like laundry that needed washing.

"From nothing you come, and to nothingness you go"

"I cannot believe it Q"

"Neither do I" replied Riker.

"It's sort of 'cosmic joke' really. Individuals are killing themselves and each for their religion and the afterlife" I said and created a flame above my hand. I blew on it extinguishing the flame "and then nothingness. But if you would rather he died in vain Jean-Luc?" For those of you with keen intellect, and for mortals that's a rarity; you will have noticed I was 'testing' him again. Like I said "the trial never ends".

"What do you want Q?" asked Riker. It was then I noticed his beard was gone. Okay if I was omnipotent and omniscient shouldn't I have known? Would you notice a bit of fur missing off your dog without paying attention. Do you care as long as it's in full health. Okay I admit I have a few mortal pets, some are more favoured than others though.

"If I do you a favour, you can do one for me"

"We already told you no to bringing Data back" said Riker.

"What favour is it you want Q?"

"Well I want you to travel to a bit further a field, say another universe and help out on a bit of extermination"

"We will not kill for you or jump through your hoops. Neither have we the ability to travel that far"

"I did ask _mon capitan_. I could have just sent you"

"Yes you could have done Q and we appreciate you not doing so. But why there?" Picard asked in that soft and reasonable tone of his.

"Maybe there is something I want you to see, and just perhaps broaden your dreary horizons"

"Stop the games Q. What could you possibly want us to see there?" Will asked quite frostily. There was no need for it really. Maybe I should turn him into a vase of flowers, a type Deanna would like.

Speaking of games, we tested a species that used to exist in nearby galaxy. Needless to say both me and my fellow Q had opposing views. So we engaged on a wager. If he won, the species were destroyed like we would have done to humanity; and replaced with another. If I won they were allowed to live. Simple or so you would think. They failed the test and I lost the bet.

I decided on a 'double or nothing'. I gathered the consciousness of every being that had ever lived on that planet and 'resurrected' them all at the same time by placing them on an alternate planet. I also decided to change their forms from humanoid to insectoid, and to avoid overcrowding placed dozens of minds into one body. My idea is that the spies would live, my fellow had the opposite opinion. They all died by either going mad, or killing their neighbors due to emotional and mental instability. At least they had another chance at life. That and they were all bloody schizophrenic to start with before the test!

"Besides, it's not what is useful now Jean-Luc. Maybe with a few centuries of modification you might find the technology useful"

"We need to know more than that Q"

"Must I be blunt with you? What ever happened to a little mystery and intrigue?" I asked. Maybe I should have posed as 'junior' and tried 'aunt Kathy'.

"This isn't a Dixon Hill novel Q"

"Oh all right" I said in exasperation, "Something you get here will tip the balance in your favour during the 'temporal cold war' during the 31st Century"

"The 31st Century" Will said. "What could we possibly find there that could change a time war?"

"I don't know 'Number One', but I find it hard to believe even the Federation would fall far enough to enter a 'temporal cold war', to violate so many directives. We must proceed very carefully 'number one' and try not to contaminate the timeline ourselves"

Daniel was sitting in the canteen, and realised that he was halfway to putting a spoon of sticky toffee dessert into his mouth. He stopped and put the spoon down. He remembered being dead, the Ori.

"Something wrong Daniel" asked Samantha observing her friend and fellow team mate looking very distracted.

"I don't know"

"You do seem to be not entirely here". Don't you just a expect Jaffa to utter really helpful comments. Is it any wonder they spent millennia as slaves with such creative insights?

"I'm not sure I was, am or that this is even real. What is the date?" Daniel asked stammering a little.

"What do you mean, of course this is real" answered Teal'c.

"The date?"

"It's 5th October 2005, why do ask Daniel Jackson" Teal'c replied.

"Three months I've been sent back. A second ago I was dead." Okay I admit here my timing had been a little off, but I wasn't really concentrating when I sent Danny boy back.

"Who sent you back?"

"What do you mean you were dead" inquired Teal'c.

"I think we need to speak to the General" said Daniel decisively.

Twenty minutes later they were in a briefing room, and Daniel was explaining all about what happened.

"You mean he brought you back, this what did you call him" asked General Langdry.

"That would be Q, as in me" I said, although all they heard was a disembodied voice, and I suddenly appeared in a flash of light to the sounds of 'Charge of the Light Brigade' still wearing my Federation Admiral attire. The soldiers were pointing projectile weapons as me, how cute. Isn't drama and tension wonderful sometimes?

"I was, we were all dead?"

"Why did you send him back?" asked the General.

"Yes you were, although Sam died a few moments later"

"You didn't answer my question" Langdry commented gruffly.

"That's the beauty about being me, I don't have to pander the requests of mortals"

"I could place you in the brig"

"General, I suspect he's more powerful than the Ancients"

"Are you?"

"The Ancients as you call them, are as far below me on the evolutionary scale as you are above an amoeba"

"That's impossible. The Ancients have transcended time and space we know it" Sam stated.

Just to make it easier for you to understand where me and Alterans are in relation to one another. They have become 4th dimensional beings, i.e. able to control and know the location of all matter within their home universe. A 5th dimensional being is able to do that in the surrounding quanta, or nearby parallel universes with the same basis; in this case any parallel SGC units. I'll keep you guessing about the other dimensions for a bit. Needless to say I'm top of the food chain at eleven dimensions, if that gives a picture of the amount of knowledge, information & power I hold and control. That's why I couldn't give a hoot about Riker's beard taking some time off.

"Yes and still you scurry around completely unaware of what is out there. Oblivious to the real exploration" Surprisingly enough, it took the Federations 'temporal cold war' before they started to actually realise what exploration was really about, the reaches of the mind.

"And I suppose you know?" asked Langdry again. I'd be surprised if he had many friends being 'gruff' all the time.

"Let's just say I'm going to be sending some help your way. And your species might just get to survive your trial"

I know it sounds mean of me to do this again to another 'branch' of humanity. But they need to understand there are consequences. The Alterans are floundering a little when it comes to making the 5th dimensional jump. If left unaided it will take them another aeon or more. They've been ascended for several million years as it is, far too long. Within a few millennia they will follow the Alterans and ascend. Either this 'branch' of humanity help them evolve further. If not the Alterans cease to exist, and I start again. I do this kind of thing a lot, I'm a professional- if you believe that you're more gullible than I thought.

"What trial" asked Daniel

"The one I just placed you on"

"What for?"

"Same as any other species really, being inferior"

"What happens if we fail" asked Langdry

"You and the Alterans will cease to exist and will be replaced by a more worthy species. There are plenty out there". Daniel raised his hand to shoulder height and pointed his finger as a prelude to a question.

"Who made you judge and jury"

"I did"

"By what right?" the General asked. I created a fly swatter and aimed at a nonexistent buzzing fly, and suddenly hit the desk making everyone jump. I then inspected the bottom of the swatter to reveal a recently created dead fly. If that symbolism was lost on them well, I guess there's no hope.


	3. The Setting

Author notes- thanks to those that helped with this chapter. Especially to Lancelot who has given me a lot inspiration and writing ideas, some will be included on the fic' New Frontier'. To Daniel who has offered suggestions, andother reading material to further enrich this story.

Thank you all.

Chapter 3

It was at this point I decided to visit the 'diner' that the Ancients use as a meeting point for others of their kind. As soon as I walked in, they all looked at me. So much for hospitality, I mean how rude is that? What was it a local diner for local people?

"Id like a coffee" I said to the waitress as I walked to a table to sit down. She had brown hair and one of those truly awful hats they wear in American diners.

"You're new around these parts aren't you?" she asked

"Not really, sort of my old stomping ground"

"What's your name?" she inquired politely

"Q"

"Mine's.." she never finished as I interrupted

"I already know your name Oma" I said.

"How? Was it Daniel?" So much for their powers of deduction.

"Not really"

"We've not encountered you before. Are you new to being ascended?"

"Hardly" I said. How arrogant is that, thinking that all other 'ascended beings' were like them?

"I've not been around these parts for a long while" I continued, technically this would be true, maybe an aeon or three. Not that I was counting.

"How is Daniel, I've not seen him for a few months" Oma replied conversationally.

"Linear time really isn't my thing, I'm a more of an anytime, anywhen man myself" I said in my best bored tones.

"Who are you?" she asked. If it isn't obvious to you all, but the Alterans experience time like most other limited beings, they can time travel, but at the cost of creating a divergent reality point; or simply put another parallel universe.

"4th dimensional beings" I said and put my head in my hands.

"Your not one of us" she said giving me one of those questionable looks, and raising an eyebrow. See what I mean about their deductive reasoning, talk about being simple!

One of the other ascended beings got up and walked over to me, he seemed oldish, grey hair, carried an 'air' of authority.

"I don't know who you are" he said in a gravely, and 'gruff' tone. It was almost an 'ascended' General Langdry. He continued, "but you are not welcome here". I stood up, and could feel my temper beginning to unwind like snake around a tree.

"We are in charge here" he replied. I looked at him like an annoying insect that you are about to swat, only instead of a roller up newspaper it would more likely be a flamethrower - and enjoy watching it burn.

My look obviously worked because he stepped back.

"I have news for every 4th dimensional being related to the Alterans" I began; now this was not just being heard in this 'diner' but across the whole multiverse, "consider your status revoked" I finished and clicked my fingers for effect and severing their connection to the 4th dimension.

"What have you just done?" he asked.

"I Hope you all enjoy being _human,_ again" I said with disdain

"You can't" he said. Other Alterans stood up with bemused looks, unable to access their powers.

"Is that a fact?" I quipped clicking my fingers and the diner and the Ancients vanished in flash of light.

If I was going to place the Ancients and Ori on trial, I had to collect a few more ascended beings. A while ago, some Ancients had left this universe and sought to explore only to become a 'force' somewhere else as the 'Powers That Be'. I appeared in a white room with two beings who had silver skin, one male the other female, with tattoos on their faces, wearing togas. They were known as Guardians, or more precisely Oracles. How unoriginal is that?

"What is your purpose here lesser being" he asked. The woman continued to look at me. The cheek of it, honestly.

"I could say the same to you" I replied and clicked my fingers turning the male into a little dog; Pomeranian to be precise. I continued to ignore them and walk to the large archway behind them made up of white light.

"You are not permitted to go there" she said.

"Unless you would rather I turned your 'friend' there" I said pointing at the Pomeranian "into an Alsatian, and you into a lamp post I'd button it"

"You wouldn't" she said taking a step back away from me.

"I am about to evict your '_Powers_'" I said, using their title like a disease "for not paying a long overdue bill"

"They won't let you" she replied.

"They don't get a choice" I said and off I walked leaving the woman and her new pet dog. I hope she would take him for walks, feed him, and pay him attention, some dogs have a tendency to 'yap' a lot, and you must always be a responsible owner of your pets. I am.

As I got to the end of the hallway, it branched in many directions. I wandered up the main hallway that changed to resemble a library. I didn't need to walk, but you may as well enjoy your work. There were books galore on everything, all kinds of knowledge stored here; Mortals would positively salivate at thought, but to a Q absolutely nothing interesting. It would be a like a Phd physicist regressing to reading 'Physics for dummies'

I walked around another corner, and it narrowed into a hallway leading to an office, all with a very 'dark wood' kind of feel. I opened the door to find an old man sitting at a desk smoking a cigar, with the same dark coloured wood everywhere. It looked more like an old mans club.

"Who are you?" he inquired. Many of you will have realised I didn't have to do any of this, so why? You figure it out.

"The name is Q" Nothing like building a little bit of tension, "It's a bit dreary and depressing, I think you might need a new colour scheme" I said and turning all the wood into all the colours of the rainbow, that's better don't you think?"

"What is your business here? You aren't a demon" he said. Some beings still have belief that anything which doesn't match the local populace is a 'demon'. How child like is that? Some ascended types are not very intelligent.

"Don't bother to call for any help, it isn't coming." I could see concentration lines on his forehead.

"What have you done to them?" he asked.

"Same as I'm going to do you, other Alterans, and the Ori" I said and clicked my fingers as he disappeared. If you've guessed right, I just wanted to taunt him. I was also aware at this point that SG-1 were discussing me again. I decided to eavesdrop, unobserved of course.

"What if he is telling the truth about being more advanced than the Ancients?" Daniel asked.

"You can only transcend time and space once, as far as I know" Sam replied.

"What about 'Omega point'" asked Daniel.

"No one really knows anything about it Daniel, and it's just theoretical. I would have thought that being an Ancient you would have reached it already". I could see the Sam and Daniel were conversing. For those of you that don't know, 'Omega Point' is when you have learnt all that is possible in normal 3-dimensional space, at which point you transcend to 'higher dimensions'. Learn all that is learnable. Sound familiar? It should, V'Ger did it by combining with Commander Decker and Lieutenant Ilia.

That level of evolution should have happened in the Federations far distant future, when their minds had evolved further to comprehend other dimensions; as it was the new lifeform was very nearly stillborn. The Q intervened here to help. Usually we wouldn't have bothered, but I was feeling helpful that day. So sue me? Ooops you can't, I'm the judge and jury.

The Ancients had indeed reached 'Omega Point', but that stage as you may have guessed is but only the beginning of a long journey. Now in another multiverse, humans battle huge sentient machines the size of galaxies that are capable of consuming Quasars as a light snacks. In this particular universe humans had evolved to the point where we hoped the federation would one day go, the 'human kind god' had been born, and was in fact triune in nature, one part intellect, one part empathy, and the last part inhabiting the spaces in between 'planck space/ time'. But the Federation were a long way off, but the Q were ever hopeful. We were also hoping the 'humans' and 'machines' in this universe would leave their battle behind, as it rages in both time and space, and eventually join to become 4th dimensional beings with a difference; if they didn't they would get a visit from Me. The technology here would put V'Ger to shame. Why did I care? We'll let the intelligent among you figure that out.

I think at this point I need to explain the 'mechanics' of meta-universal location, at least that's that the technical name for it. Take a 'core reality' like the one I'm in. Every being in this universe, not just SG-1, but every being that makes a decision creates a branch point if you will. Not just humans, but all life. A parallel universe is where there are a set of decisions, each one creating a different outcome. An alternate universe is where a decision earlier on in the universe creates a different set of laws, or living conditions that would affect how all life would evolve. So there might be no humanoid beings, or a whole universe of 'Fluidic Space' if that helps. All these parallels, and alternate universes. This is a mutliverse.

If you were to have mutliverses, it would be like saying 'infinities', or infinity plus one. It doesn't really make a lot of sense. So a new measuring stick had to be used.

So every core reality creates a multiverse around it. The Federation is part of another 'core universe', the same is true for the Gallifreyans. So more than one multiverse becomes an 'Omni-verse'. Although the Q are the top of 'food chain' we do have a few equals, but I'll explain about them later.

"Hello again 'Johnny', I hope you've decided to run my little errand for me?"

"Q. Our ship isn't in any condition to do anything other than limp home" replied Jean-Luc.

"Really" I said making his ship as good as new, "look again"

"What the" Commander, or rather the recently promoted Captain Riker tried to say.

"Now, I really do have things to do" Not one of them moved.

"We aren't going Q, none of us will do what you want, and neither will we interfere in the timeline"

"Billions of lives are depending on you, would you rather watch them die"

"We cannot interfere the 'Prime Directive' forbids it"

"Here's a thing. I can either tell you how to travel there under your own steam, or I'll just toss your 'little barge' where I want it; but don't let there be any misunderstanding, _you are going_" I said emphasising the last three words. See what I mean about lower lifeforms being dense? If they were vaguely intelligent they'd understand and do what I told them first time around.

They actually thought I was trying to harass them, in actuality I was defying the 'continuum' who believed they have travelled too far, too fast. By being in the other multiverse they would pick up some rather new and interesting technologies and advance even faster. With a bit of string pulling, without being too overt the 'temporal cold war' would never happen and that timeline cease to exist. If I told them that, it'd make their predicament even worse. Woe is me. Woe is me.

Now if I 'played my cards' right, and let's face it no one on that terrible program ever did, but I had to now try and tell Geordie La Forge how to construct a trans-universal dimensional transwarp conduit, and that was the simple terminology. I had a greater chance of explaining quantum mechanics to a chimpanzee. While I left a 'part of me' behind to do that, I had been holding the collected Ancients, and Ori in a sort of 'null space', devoid of light, sound, anything really. Complete sensory deprivation. Vindictive, who me?

The 'Ancients' appear in an old fashioned 20th Century courtroom, naturally I'm judge, and another twelve of me sit as jurors.

"Its time" I said, I have not at this point restored their powers. I can see them looking around in shock, sensory overload, and in general fear.

"How do the Alterans plead, guilty or not guilty?" I knew their answer before Oma stepped forward.

"Guilty of what" she inquired.

"Being a lower lifeform who is no longer worthy to maintain their position in the cosmos".

"I have to plead guilty" she began, she was about to add ' or not guilty' but I interrupted her sentence deliberately.

"So you all plead guilty? The sentence for that is death" One of the 'Powers That Be' stepped forward, it was actually the one whose office I had walked into.

"No. We will plead 'not guilty'" he replied with a tone of authority.

"Well, well. If it's not one of the Powers That Has Been"

"We do not take kindly to your mocking, Q, or whatever you are" he replied in rather angry tones.

"Life's hard and I'm a Q and I shall do whatever I like. You would do well to remember that"

"We plead 'not guilty'" one of the Ori shouted. Murmurs of agreement went through the former 'ascended' ranks.

"If that be the case, we shall begin the lesson with awareness" I said. Slowly I gave them back their 4th dimensional awareness, and extended to, 5th, 6th & 7th dimensions. Slowly expanding it to the level of a Q, albeit temporarily.

Every 'ascended' being gasped in astonishment and wonder, a couple passed out; more than one threw up metaphysical vomit. You can't make an omelette and all that. They could now see that I was 'flexing' my 11th dimensional muscles. They looked in awe at the sight before them.

I could read their minds, trying to grasp how I did this, that there was no description for this technology. I knew that they now understood that I was playing with their consciousness like a 'master pianist'. Glory beyond their reckoning lay before them. Majestic waves of creation, destruction and entropy lay before them. They seem to float freely above the wheel of all existence.

In every direction they viewed reality after reality, the shock of the revelation of their ignorance warred with the appreciation for the wonder of Existence. Coupled with their sensory imbalance the dominant feeling that they now experienced was incoherent "FEAR". Who, What was this being that held all of this to be his playground?

"This is my backyard" I said for dramatic effect. Now as you become a 6th dimensional being you leave the Omni-verse behind, and transcend to higher realities that can have no parallel or alternate. You begin to see the 'Cosm-verse'. You know I said that the Q were top of the food chain, well that was a slight lie, but also a truth. There are two beings, that are also locations- one is called the 'Everything', made up of brilliant shining blue, and green material with huge red veins running through it. The other is the 'Nothing', and is a void of pure destructive force, even the Q fear this; it has another name, 'the Heart of Darkness'.

To our knowledge only two beings have ever merged successfully with either 'power', the usual result is to be consumed. What goes in, does not come out the same. To even attempt it, you have got to be out your cosmic mind. As I said two powers survived the 'joining', Apeiros emerged from the 'Everything', a woman of immense power, she has another name I recently learnt, Melonie but I digress.

The other wants to destroy whole realities, and he is called the 'Nameless One'. The Q encountered him about ten aeons ago on the 'fringe' of reality, before we knew what happened a Q was dead. It took the collective might of several Q to send him packing, since then we have several 'Q Enforcement Squads' dedicated to detecting either of them and making sure they both stay away. We want nothing to do with either.

The reason I mentioned this, well I just noticed, or sensed that the 'Nameless One' had just entered this universe. I could empower the Ancients with the power of the Q, fight it/him myself, or alert the continuum? He obviously sensed me, and 'cut off' my access to the continuum before I could act. I flung the Enterprise, had to keep my pet safe. How do I describe the 'Nameless One?' Well imagine a human with skin as dark as a 'black hole', and eyes that contain a power to match. Scary eh? You try standing right next to him, in a metaphorical way.

I did the only thing I could, I shouted across the Cosm-verse for help. Unfortunately, he destroyed whole universes before I stop him. Oh crap!


	4. The Battle

Chapter 4

_Elsewhere_

Luckily for my continued existence my cry for help had been heard and with a flap of wings appeared one of the Q's equals. He was slightly smaller height wise than me, in the current form we were both using, with blonde hair and a bowl hair cut and a white Italian designer suit- with two huge white wings coming out of his shoulders. With another flash of light appeared another being. He had yellow skin, in the middle of his chest appeared a glowing light, and three heads although not attached to his body. Two of these heads were obscured to others, but not to omnipotent Entities like me.

"Trinity, Lucifer," I said, although that would be far too simplistic term, as you mortals always think of communicating through sound. Not that anything intelligible ever comes out.

"Q" replied Lucifer.

"I heard your call" replied the Tribunal. Both of these beings are the equal of any Q, and the Tribunal has some over exaggerated sense of responsibility. While Lucifer is the only one of two with a sense of humour and mischievousness. I have noticed over the aeons that Lucifer is very quiet around the Tribunal, on his own with me; well let's just say we've had some really good times usually at the expense of lower lifeforms. What would be the point of being omnipotent if you couldn't?

Did I tell you about the universe where Me & Lucifer introduced the 'Infinity Improbability Drive', and gave a race called the Vogons a Borg cube to play with? Needless to say the Vogons took the design and used it to re-design all their ships. Unfortunately for people of Earth, the Vogons used their new ships and blow it up to make way for a 'Hyperspace Bypass', but like cutting out a cancerous lump. Oh shame! Even gave them the idea for a 'Restaurant at the End of the Universe'. Sometimes I'm just not appreciated.

At this point the 'Nameless One' stood there glowering at the three of us, combined we were fairly confident of giving him a really good thrashing; that and a Q Enforcement squad were on their way here. How did I know this? I wouldn't be bloody omnipotent if I didn't! My friends and I were ready to attack should 'he' not leave willingly.

"Go home" I said.

"You are not welcome here 'dark one' and are charged to return" the Tribunal issued his demand. Lucifer for his part just stood and looked at him with a grin on his face. It has been my experience over the aeons that when my friend Lucifer smiles, all 'hell', if you'll pardon the pun, is usually about to break loose. I was trying to not look worried at this point, and I had noticed that the Tribunal did not look happy either.

_The Enterprise_

"Look all you have to do is leave your limited intelligence behind. Now to create a transwarp conduit all you have to do is…"

"Q! I know what I'm doing!" shouted Chief Engineer Geordie La Forge, at me. How dare he! Remember that I said I'd left a 'part' of me behind? Well that's why I'm in two places at once.

"Can you build a trans-dimensional warp conduit then?" I responded.

"I'm trying" complained Geordie. He'd be lucky if he could build an ice cream cone. Since Kathy's return from the Gamma Quadrant, new areas of physics had become available to the Federation like Transwarp and Slipstream. I'll explain more about them later.

"You need to know where you're going first or you could end up anywhere" I said. You cannot teach to monkey to paint. At this point more sensible minds came into Engineering in the form of Jean-Luc.

"How is it going Geordie?"

"Not good Captain". Would you expect anything else from an overgrown simian, and blind one at that?

"If you'd listen we'd get the work done a lot quicker" I retorted.

"Q" rebutted Picard, "Geordie, just do what Q tells you and I'm sure things will be fine." I could tell he didn't mean it, and resented being told where to go, it was all in his eyes. Good job he didn't know that I could read his mind or he would have controlled his thoughts a little better.

"Thinking thoughts like that about Anise, shame on you Mon Capitan" at that he blushed a little.

"Captain, if I do what he's suggesting" Geordie said pointing at me, 'it'll blow up the ship". Even to me that last sentence sounded all whiney, maybe I should give Geordie a Scouse accent and a perm?

"I told you to stop being so limited"

"Q. Will what you're suggesting destroy _my_ _ship_"

"Of course not, it's so simple even a Klingon could do it, maybe Worf might do a better job" I taunted.

"That's enough Q!" replied Jean-Luc raising his voice. Like I said what is it with you limited beings and vibrational communication?

_Elsewhere _

Our battle raged, as the 'Nameless One' was not going to give up ground anytime soon. We were winning and our 'help' arrived in the form of more Q. A whole multiverse had been destroyed so far as a result of crossfire, and re-direction of energies. In conflicts of this magnitude such destruction is expected and all omnipotent beings everywhere are forbidden to use that level of power, hence testing other species. The Q, and others that are our equals met and made an edict that is not to broken, otherwise the 'Great Experiment' may be destroyed. For those of you who want to know what that may be will just have to use their limited imagination! So, ner ner ner ner!

I barely deflected energies that would have severely hurt me and the excess bounced off and destroyed a whole galaxy full of sentient life. Like I said the losses were becoming dangerous. It was at this point 'his' opposite arrived, Apeiros and I was stuck in the middle of the two. Fan-bloody-tastic!

_Enterprise_

"Keep going" I said trying to encourage Geordie with his button pushing. With my keen intellect, knowledge and overall genius; we had almost done it. I don't really know what he had done to help. It was at this point the other 'me' threw the Enterprise to safety. So much for hard work! Luckily I've never done a day in my life and intended it remain that way, thank you. Everybody on Jean-Luc's rickety barge were tossed all over the place, Me included, and if it hadn't been for my powers my mortal semblance might have been damaged, as it was my good looks remained. Others on board were not so lucky; but all you mortals do is die anyway, why mourn a few losses?

I noticed that many scurried around like ants trying to help those in need; and yes the word 'scurry' is perfect description for what you do. All you do is run around aimlessly till the day you die! What a waste, and then you complain when someone of my magnificence 'spices' up your otherwise dull lives. I have come to the conclusion that you are all ingrates from the time I have spent among you.

I wandered around the Enterprise for a bit, ignoring anything anyone said to me uttering the phrase "omnipotent entity coming through" which seemed to do the trick. It wasn't until I wandered up to the bridge, through the floor, why would I use a dreary lift? That people looked in my direction. Jean-Luc was seriously injured and well the indomitable Captain Riker had a huge gash on his forehead. He was not happy to see me!

"Q! did you do this?"

_Another multiverse away_

Excess energies nearby had blown me so far away you humans can't even imagine it.

I sort of phased in, instead of my usual flashy entrance. Next me was….For Q's sake where was I? I looked around and had a blonde human female and another dark haired human male next to me both were dressed normally, if what you wear can be called fashion.

"Doctor, look" said the blonde pointing in my direction.

"What is going on?" he replied. These humans were surrounded by what looked like upturned dustbins with metal eye stalks. These 'dustbins' also had a metal appendage with what looked like a rubber plunger on the end; next to which was a some kind of energy weapon.

That last explosion had rattled my Q senses and by rights I should be dead. I wasn't! Something strange was going on. Next to the 'dustbins' was a similar shaped device, but definitely of another design in a gold colour without the stalks. Where the Q was I? Ah, yes it was coming back to me.

"Exterminate!"

"Daleks" I said and exhaled just for effect. That would mean that…Crash as three Cybermen walked through a wall. I knew exactly where I was.

"Are you from the other universe" inquired the human female called Rose Tyler.

"I would never limit myself in that way"

"Any temporal traveller can open it" said one Dalek in black, "Exterminate all humans, and resistance".

"Oh do shut up" I said walking past a Dalek like they were moving dustbin, which they were.

"Resistance is useless" said a Cyberman. Now where have I heard that before?

"Maybe I should introduce you Daleks to a Melnibonean sea flea, they can rip apart duranium faster than your wife can go through your wallet at the mention of divorce or infidelity". See not one person smiled at that; you humans no sense of humour at all.

"Who are you?" inquired the Doctor.

"Exterminate" a Dalek squawked. I clicked my fingers and in a Q flash I turned it into a big black nasty crow. It flew off squawking away. I have always thought about having a competition as to who would be the dullest most boring race; the Cybermen, Daleks or the Borg. I already know the answer before I start, all of them! The only reason the Q, or Trinity let such races exist is partly for entertainment, and partly to make you lower beings struggle to overcome them; all part of the Grand Experiment. I'm still not going to tell you what it is.

I snapped my fingers again, and all the Cybermen had yellow hats, the kind you see at

Human weddings, very fetching! Another snap of the fingers and they all had frilly pink dresses over their armour! They were looking better by the minute. The 'victims' stood looking at their change of attire.

"What is this" exclaimed some dippy Dalek. Oh yes, they were next.

I know you humans have a phrase 'act your age not your shoe size', but wqhen you can be any age and any shoe size, why limit myself when your omnipotent?

I clicked by fingers again, and another Q flash, and all the Daleks had pink

hats with the same colour flower attached to it, a bit like Ermine Trude the cow out of

the Magic Roundabout children's show.

"That' better" I proclaimed.

"This is impossible" said one Dalek in horror. Typical tin can really.

"Exterminate the human" it said as the Daleks and Cybermen all fired their weapons at once. I really don't know what they were expecting to happen? I burst into flames or something? I clicked my fingers again and a nearby Dalek was turned into a cockroach, and a pile of Encyclopaedia Britannica fell out of nowhere crushing it. Who said a little bit of knowledge can't go a long way? Get it! Sometimes I'm just too comedy world.

The Daleks and Cybermen backed off.

"What are you?" asked Rose.

"I'm Q", I was going to say '00Q' but thought it would be too cliché, "don't say it" I warned, knowing someone was going mention bloody alphabets again.

"What species are you from?" inquired the Doctor.

"Q is the species and name of every member in it"

"You're not human are you?"

"Sometimes you Timelords are too perceptive by far. I can see why your species became extinct"

"How do you mean"

"As in dead and are no more" I replied caustically.

"I meant, why can you see that they became extinct?" asked Rose.

"I know what you meant mortal. They failed every test the Q set them, and refused to give up their physicality"

"What tests did you set us" asked the Doctor angrily.

"Exterminate the humans and the Doctor"

"I'm talking tin can, go kill some other humans or re-arrange flowers or something" I said giving them a menacing look.

"Too many to count really. The Nemesis device, Fenric, but no you stubbornly refused to change"

"Into what" asked Rose.

"4th dimensional beings would have been a step in the right direction; even you" I said pointing at Rose "had the chance to do so looking into the _Tardis_" I said using the last word like a piece of garbage. Okay a Tardis is infinitely, and I use that word as loosely as Captain Kirk's underwear was at the chance of bedding an alien female, more sophisticated than Picard's 'rickety barge', but the Federation if they continued would exceed the Gallifreyans in everyway. Like I said earlier, that's what the Q had our hopes on.

I still didn't feel quite right at the minute, I could feel the energies of the Nameless One, and Apeiros flooding through my system. Something odd was happening and I would need to find out what.

"So you're saying that you could have stopped our destruction?" asked the Doctor angrily.

"I tested you recently with 'the Devil' near the black hole. Think yourself lucky I didn't wipe your species out before it was even born."

"Why test us? Is there somefing you want us to do?" asked Rose letting a twinge of her East-end accent out.

"Amuse me. Being omnipotent isn't easy you know"

"I hardly think your all knowing or all powerful"

"No being is that powerful Rose, it's not possible".

"How little you know, but don't worry we'll see each other again; if you survive that is", I was at this point about to snap my fingers and vanish again, Rose interrupted me. How rude is that?

"Can you stop the Daleks and return them"

I could give the Gallifreyans back their lives, return every Cybermen back to their original bodies, and seal the Void entry point for you"

"But you won't" replied the Doctor disgustedly.

"No, but you can Rose"

"How?" she asked.

"Forget the paltry limitedness you experienced through looking at the Tardis _intestines_" I said disdainfully, "that is nothing. I have given you the power of Q".

Just as an aside, if you think I would give any being the power of Q you are plainly stupid! But then again look at Riker, he believed it.

"You mean I can stop this"

"Do anything you like, destroy a galaxy; replace the universal guardians here be it Black or White, destroy universal guardians elsewhere like that meddling Eternity. Limitless power is now yours" I said disappearing in a flash. I would enjoy testing her to see what she does with her powers. Sometimes I really enjoy my job.

As I was about to appear back in the fight a stray energy deflected my transit. I appeared on board some other ship. It's a conspiracy I tell you!

"This is Captain Hunt of the starship Andromeda and Trance standing next to me both cannot say thank you enough"

"Oh for the love of Q" I shouted appearing in a Q flash.

"Just who are you?" asked Dylan

"Captain I can sense the Abyss again" remarked Trance Gemini. Sounds like a bloody horoscope. No matter what the race is, they all have some imaginative name for the 'spaces' between universes, the Void, Abyss, Hell. Puhlease! I hadn't been in this multiverse before and I could sense that I would have much fun here. So much opportunity! I disappeared again in another Q flash.

_The Enterprise_

"I didn't do this, not the me standing here anyway"

"So who did, the Tooth Fairy" argues Captain Riker.

"What's your prejudice with the Tooth Fairy" I remarked "she's a really good friend of mine" I said in mock seriousness.

"Really" said Riker with doubt written all over his face.

"Really" I repeated.

_Elsewhere _

I appeared just in time to cast a Q bolt at the 'Nameless One' and knock him aside into a containment field created by Lucifer, Trinity and a Q Enforcement squad. A job well done even if I do say so.

I looked around me at the devastation from the conflict, every one of the Alteran Ascended were dead, the Ancients, Ori and the Powers That Really has Been. Never mind I thought, no one will really miss them anyway.


	5. The Diminshment

**Chapter 5**

_At the Centre of the Eternal Ocean _are Beings that make the Living Tribunal, Lucifer & Michael look small and insignificant by comparison.

But...It is not a place where Gods or gods reside, for they are beyond the tinsel emptiness of names or places. It is not a place where space or time has meaning, where naming and names are irrelevant, for to name them would be to diminish them, and place them within the confines of limited beings, something these entities are NOT.

One in particular watched, what would be considered features showed anger.

"**COME FORWARD**". The energy projected by the formless being was of such intensity caused whole universes and Realities to be consumed by the Eternal Ocean.

It was not the sound of voice or telepathy or 'speaking in concepts', as all the beings present here were beyond what mortals would consider as language or speaking. If anything, it was the Language of the Eternal Ocean.

"YES MASTER" projected the formless being some would call the Source.

"**COME FORWARD**" Again the same formless being directed two more surges energy.

"WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WILL MASTER?" replied the One Above All & The Presence.

"**REMOVE ALL KNOWLEDGE AND MEMORY OF EVERY BEING IN YOUR REALITIES ABOUT THE Q"**

"WHAT ABOUT LUCIFER?"

"**I SAID ALL BEINGS, EVERYTHING!**" The increased energy caused a violent surge in the Eternal Ocean, and a Tsunami drowned many Mega-verses.

"INCLUDING THE LIVING TRNITY?"

"**YES**! **YOU WILL DO THE SAME WITH YOUR FINAL MIND CONSTRUCTS"**

"YES LORD" answered the Source.

"**SEND AN AVATAR AND DIMINISH THE Q**"

"I WILL GIVE THEM THEIR LITTLE CIVIL WAR THAT THEY FAKED; FOR REAL THIS TIME" projected another, some would call it/ him the Nyarlathotep.

"**GOOD, WHEN THEIR UNIVERSE GOES ABOUT RE-BIRTH HAVE THE Q REMEMBER WHAT THEY ONCE WERE; IT WILL BE THEIR ETERNAL PUNISHMENT**"

"MASTER. ONE OF THE Q HAS BEEN INFECTED WITH ENERGIES FROM THE AVATARS OF THE NOTHING AND EVERYTHING"

"**REALLY, WHOM?**"

"Q TRICKSTER"

"**ONCE HIS MEMORY IS RESTORED AT THE END OF HIS UNIVERSE HE WILL JOIN HIS SIBLING**"

"WHAT ABOUT THE DEAD?" inquired the Source, worried about its little project. It had created a whole set of realms, in which each being was connected to it; to prove a point.

"**I CARE NOTHING FOR THE DEAD OR THE LIVING. THE ETERNAL OCEAN WILL CONTINUE**"

"IT IS IMPERATIVE TO MY PLAN LORD" moaned the Source.

"**VERY WELL. YOU MAY ALL RESURRECT ALL THE DEAD**"

"THANKYOU MASTER"

"**I WILL PERSONALLY LIMIT THE POWER OF ALL BEINGS HENCEFORTH**"

"WHAT DOES THIS MEAN MASTER?" Asked the Presence concerned about its own little project.

"**BEINGS WILL HAVE TO CONTENT THEMSELVES WITH THE SPACES WITHIN THEIR OWN UNIVERSES"**

"WHAT ABOUT BEINGS ALREADY RESIDING IN THE HIGHER DIMENSIONS?" asked the One Above All.

"**DIMINSH THEM ALL, EXCEPT THE SOURCES ALLOTMENT. IT WISHES TO PROVE US ALL WRONG"**

"HOW DIFFICULT WILL IT BE LORD TO ADVANCE FURTHER?" Asked the Presence trying to find loopholes to advance its' own agenda, hoping Lucifer or Michael did not come to any harm.

"**IT WILL BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH THE FOURTH DIMENSION, OMEGA POINT, OR HIGHER HENCEFORTH**"

"WHAT ABOUT WITHIN THEIR HOME DIMENSIONS? THE FINAL MINDS?" inquired the Source.

"**NEITHER CONCERN ME**"

"LORD, THE DIMINISHED Q WILL NOT BE MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN THE ORI THEN" remarked the Source worried. It's anguish causing another Tsunami in the Eternal Ocean, although it had less power than the first. Whole Multiverses, rode the huge wave; many of which were swallowed and destroyed as though they had never been.

"**CORRECT. SEE TO YOUR TASKS**" it stated admiring the skull of a Celestial entity made into a gem.

"**COME HERE**" Both transcendent beings rushes to the summons from their Primark Master. The hatred between them causing parts of the Eternal Ocean to boil.

"YES MASTER".

"**DO YOU ALL WANT THE LAST GREAT WAR ALL OVER AGAIN!"**

In an instant it all happened. Time stopped in so many universes, and beyond. Beings that knew of the many dimensions were cast out of them, to reside in their own home universes, or multiverses. Such was the verdict of the Primark, none could defy.

The Presence reached out with the Language of the Eternal Ocean, influencing all its underlings within its creation, Supermans' motion halted even though he was flying at superluminal speeds, The Green lantern froze, and the energy from his ring millimetres from its objective. But all that did not matter, for his opponent stood there unaware that all thought, motion and awareness had ceased while the Presence altered perceptions. It did not happen in the one time frame, but temporally across the whole of creation engineered by the Presence. Even Lucifer Morningstar was unaware, and would never remember what had happened.

The One Above All, used the Language of the Eternal Ocean, stopping its' creations across all temporal zones, as all beings had their memory removed of the Q. Some had not even met a Q yet, but would in time, these too must be purged in accordance with the Primark. Even the Living Trinity, known to some as the Living Tribunal would never remember Q.

The Source reached across Absolute energy, it too used the Language of the Eternal Ocean, erasing the memory of the Q in the past and future times yet to come. Every Final Mind, the last living denizens of universes that had met, or would meet possibly Q at some future point had their memories erased. Such was the edict of the Primark.

What some would call Nyarlatthotep, arrived in its humanoid form in the Q continuum.

"What is this disruption?" squeaked one Q imperilously.

"Send out Q squad to find out"

The Q were wondering what the disruption across the many levels of dimension was all about. Into the continuum appeared a being that looked like an Egyptian Pharaoh, dark skinned and regal.

"Q & Q's"

"Who are you?" they asked.

"One who will set things right. Judgement is rendered little gods"

"We are Q, and we are omnipotent!"

"None shall cast judgement on us" remarked another angrily.

"Oh but I shall. To your reckoning you may be omnipotent, but to me the Q are small and infinitesimal"

"How dare you say such things" the Head of Q replied.

"Really, as Q played with the awareness of lesser species so shall I alter yours" and with a gesture all of the Q watched in awe as their awareness expanded past their meagre eleven dimensions. Slowly they began to perceive the full scope of creation, clusters of foam formed within which were universes riding on the top of Eternal Ocean, some rising through its depths.

"See how limited you are?" the Crawling Chaos taunted the insolent Q.

"We did not know" Head of Q stammered as it saw the forms of the Presence, One Above All & the Source observing them.

"Never shall you. As of now, you are forever diminished to remain within your own supercluster Mega-verses. Goodbye" mocked the Crawling Chaos leaving in flash of light. The Messenger of the Others, watched and moved onto its next task, to diminish all the others of the 10th dimension downwards.


	6. Q Evolution

Author note- I am going to ignore any Stargate references to Star Trek in the series, otherwise it could get complicated, e.g. what happens if one of the Enterprise crew used to watch old Stargate episodes etc. So to stop all that, O'Neill or any of the others ever made any reference to Star Trek.

**Chapter 6**

After the changes made by the Other Gods as history and the future instantly changed.

Time restarted seamlessly and the Q experienced their Civil War and many other things, albeit lesser entities than they once more.

Captain Picard opened his eyes, and something trickled into them. Moving slowly to his feet riding the waves of nausea wiped the red substance trickling down his head and into his eyes…_blood_. The bridge seemed to be okay, and Captain Riker was attempting to stand, "Number One….Will are you okay?" The other Captain was flinching, "I think so Captain" he said and began to prod his swollen left eye wincing at the pain.

"Just bumps and bruises. Nothing a little ice and a trip to sickbay won't cure. Are you?"

"Just a little shook up….the usual" said Jean-Luc admiring the huge 'shiner' his former First Officer was acquiring.

Both surveyed the bridge, and quickly helped others to their feet. "What the hell happened?"

"That Number One, I would really like to know". People were slowly sitting down back at their stations. He watched as Captain Riker brusquely went to his former console and began to check the reports, brow furrowed in concentration. "Nothing serious Captain according to the logs, just another roller coaster of a ride"

"Some roller coaster" remarked Picard dryly. "Engineering. Are you okay Geordie?"

"Er….not too bad Captain, although we've got a whole lot of 'banged up' people down here. I feel like I've been drinking Romulan Ale for two days straight".

Jean-Luc watched Captain Riker grin at the remark, and couldn't help smile himself. "Geordie, the damage reports don't seem to be too bad. What the hell happened?"

What they couldn't see was the Chief of Engineering was rubbing his arm and looking around at his staff obviously concerned for their wellbeing. "Everything seemed to be okay one second and then Q seemed distracted".

Geordie looked slightly confused at the next statement, "If anything I'd say he went into a world of his own and was completely unresponsive to stimulus and that's' when things started to get a little bit shaky".

Jean-Luc noticed his first officer prod his black eye again face contorting in a grimace, "Are you okay Will?"

Will's face flushed. "I just feel a little bit old for one of these? If I was maybe twenty years younger" the other Captain remarked wistfully.

"Am I missing something Captain?" inquired the Chief Engineer.

"It would seem that Captain Riker has acquired a rather large black eye, and might just be feeling a little bit old"

"I know the feeling sir and I think I've got one myself", all three senior officers sharing a brief moment of mirth continued as though nothing had happened.

"As I was saying Q was unresponsive, I pocked and prodded him, nothing; not a 'dickie bird'"

"Where's Q now?"

"That's the bit I find odd".

Having heard this Will was confused and a little more sharply than he would have liked asked "Clarify chief".

"He's been taken to sickbay with quite a few nasty cuts, and what looked like a broken arm".

"How could Q be hurt?" Riker mused out loud.

"Quite" remarked Captain Picard succinctly, straightening _his damn uniform again_, "so called omnipotent beings shouldn't be injured that way, unless….."

Will didn't even want to contemplate the next thought as he was fairly certain both him and the Captain, _I'm a Captain-now - must get used to that_. "Don't say it Captain" sighed the former First Officer worriedly, shaking his head "Because I for one do not believe that Q has been 'stripped' of his powers; not again!"

"I agree sir. I find the situation highly unlikely". The other thoughts he was having were kind of intangible especially as some kind of 'Temporal Cold War' was mentioned and it just _didn't make sense_. "I just cannot see what the purpose of all this is".

They were interrupted by the surly Security Chief, "Sir, we're being hailed"

"This is the Earth ship, Daedelus. Please identify yourself"

Picard raised an eyebrow questioningly and looked at Worf who answered "Audio only sir. Scanning their ship"

"I don't know if I even want visual communication looking this bad sir" said Will narcissisticly glancing at his wife. "Deanna. Can you sense anything?" She seemed to concentrate very briefly, "Puzzlement and slight hostility".

This was suddenly interrupted by Worf - "Sir, sensors are picking up some kind of gravimetric subspace distortion, ten thousand kilometres away" as the view screen displayed the distortion "Any sign of danger to the Enterprise?"

Worf turned to Captain Riker, "Unknown at this time sir. The other ship either seems to be ignoring it or". Things were beeping on his panel as Worfs' fingers moved quickly pressing touch sensitive pads. "Their vessel shows recent upgrades and utilises both mass drivers and particle beams. Shields are active and weapons are armed".

This was the part he liked most, _first contact_. "Mr Worf, open a channel" stated the Captain.

"I am Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise. Can you transmit visually?"

"Yes, we can" came the reply. On the viewer appeared a human.

"Sir a ship has appeared from within the distortion which is now vanishing. It is approximately twice our mass and the weaponry of both ships is more or less identical. Receiving communication from that ship too"

"More or less?" inquired Riker.

"The ship appearing from the distortion does not possess mass drivers"

"Split screen" answered Picard who tugged his uniform again, attempting to straighten it. "In order for things to move more…" he paused, "smoothly. Perhaps we could continue this conversation in person? Do you wish to come aboard, or shall I come across?"

"Why don't you come across here" answered the humanoid, "We'll transport you across", he was eager to see their face when they were transported by recently installed Asgard transporters. "Not necessary we have our own. If you could give us the co-ordinates". Colonel Caldwell had also heard from Thor too, who had promised to come across. Their scans of the other ship have proved interesting, its shields were roughly equal as were the estimates of the beam weapons. His ship had been recently upgraded by the Asgard and they were just sorting out any 'kinks' in the system. The important thing was that they were making no hostile moves having learnt not to underestimate anyone or anything. "Thor has arrived sir" remarked Daniel Jackson.

"Preparing to drop shields again to enable transport sir" stated one of his officers.

"If they make any hostile actions, raise shields immediately" ordered Colonel Caldwell. Without any further comment the he stood and followed Dr Jackson, waiting for the others to arrive.

"Is it me, or does this feel weird?" asked Sam.

"A little" said Thor, "I have scanned their ship just as you have done but we do not recognise the configuration"

"It is interesting that the power core is ship an anti-matter. Their shield and weapon systems appear to be more versatile than ours" answered Sam crossing her legs and trying to get comfortable, "according to projected estimates".

Caldwell face creased in confusion. "How so?"

"It seems that according to our scans it would be relatively easy to reconfigure either if required"

Thor seemed to be concentrating, "It would certainly imply that they have done so in the past" he commented.

"I agree with Thor" said Colonel Samantha Carter.

All of a sudden two outlines shimmered into existence, their forms coalesced. Both wore dark uniforms with purple fabric around the shoulders and the neck. One was human, the other was not. The bald one, the Captain spoke.

"Allow me to introduce myself once again, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, this is my Chief of Security, commander Worf".

Colonel Caldwell pointed at object sticking out of Worfs' pocket "Is that some weapon?" he asked.

"It is a phaser" he replied gruffly yet informatively. Both Sam and Daniel looked at each other, and obviously thought they had found somebody about as talkative as Teal'c.

"Most interesting" interrupted Thor tapping some keys on his chair, "you used matter transportation without travelling through the intervening space" remarked the Asgardian glibly. "How"

"Really" exclaimed Sam, "that's supposed to be impossible"

"How else would you do it?" inquired Worf outspokenly, looking back at the blonde woman expecting another question, _reminds him of Jadzia_ in some ways.

"The de-materialised person must travel through the intervening space somehow, or have you found a way of circumventing that?" continued Sam who was completely in her element.

"I think what you're referring to are our early attempts in transporter technology where the person was dematerialised and sent through normal space" said Jean-Luc beginning his oration. "This was proved to be rather ineffective and needlessly dangerous. In 2119 further research was carried out and the pattern was eventually sent through subspace and in 2121 the first transporters were put into operation onboard starships"

"What year is it where you come from?"

"2379" answered Picard who tugged his uniform straight again.

"I also notice that you obviously have old United States emblems on, how is it you managed to locate such advanced technology in such a short space of time?"

"Through use of a Stargaate" answered Daniel automatically.

"I am unfamiliar with that term" responded Picard.

"It's a wormhole between two points, but I'm sure Sam can explain it better than me"

"Basically a Stargate is a device made a particular metal called Naquadah. One is placed at the point of origin and at the destination and it allows the creation of a stable wormhole between these two points. It is designed for transport for ground personal" said Sam.

"Although we have found bigger, much bigger" remarked Daniel sourly.

They watched the Captain sigh for a minute and look at them all in turn. "If you scan us you'll find we have a different quantum signature thus indicating that we are currently from another timeline"

"What's the 24th Century like?" inquired Daniel.

"We have peace, removed starvation and poverty. Mapped the Alpha Quadrant and just begun to explore the Delta Quadrant of the galaxy. It is a grand time indeed. But there is so much to learn and see" said the Captain about to go into a monologue.

"Wow" said Daniel and was interrupted by Thor.

"How did you stop starvation?"

"We used the replicator" answered Worf laconically and noticed as they all stiffened at the word – knew the Captain had noticed, _he'd never miss anything so obvious_. "I am sorry if the word causes you discomfort" Captain Picard smoothed and took a breath and continued. "By using energy in its basic state it allows the creation of matter in a pre-defined pattern, i.e. food, similar to transporters in many ways". He realised that he was being bombastic and sighed.

"Interesting" stated Thor. "What else have you accomplished?"

"I am quite happy to make our records available to you if you wish"

"Thank you" answered Thor.

"So how did you get here?" asked Daniel conversationally

"Not of our volition. We were pushed into coming here by an _entity_ we know as the Q" Picard remarked and knew Riker would not have been so generous with this statement and would have probably added words like malicious, untrustworthy, and innumerable others.

"Really" remarked Colonel Caldwell who until now had been deathly silent.

"It would seem that he has put us on trial" said Sam who looked at Daniel expectantly. "Not that we really know what it means" remarked Daniel.

"A few years ago" began Jean-Luc.

"More than a few years ago" interrupted Worf, realising his error. He stopped when the Captain 'threw' him a stern look. "Sorry sir" apologised the Klingon as the Captain began again. "Almost ten years ago he did the same to us and recently told us that the 'trial never ends'; then just to see if we could comprehend the nature of time threatened the whole Alpha Quadrant with destruction. He did this by creating an anti-time anomaly that started in the future and got bigger in the past"

"That is quite impossible" stated Thor.

Jean-Luc smiled disarmingly. "That was exactly what Q wanted us to do, understand the paradox"

"Did you?" whispered Thor.

"But that wasn't the end to it, Q sent me to three different periods of my life; when the Enterprise first launched, about three years ago and almost thirty years in the future. His aim to see if we use the data accumulated over three different time periods and prevent our destruction" finished Jean-Luc looking over each of their faces, recalling the events with pride and horror - but then Q was seemed unfathomable at the best of times.

"If what you're saying is true" said Daniel holding up a finger to prevent interruption. "That was, is beyond even the Ancients to do that" he remarked authoritatively, having been one, _twice_.

"I agree" remarked the little Asgard. "Such a being would prove to be a grave threat"

"I wish it were impossible but Q seems to be able to break any or all physical laws when he" said Picard who paused briefly, "when _he_ chooses to".

"Unfortunately we can do little about it other than tolerate his antics as best we can"

"How?" asked the archaeologist incredulous.

"Usually with a grimace"

Later when Picard and Worf were back on their ships; the little Asgardian was on his, reading the files detailing the exploits of the Federation. Although he wasn't actually reading and more a case of downloading it as they did with their personalities.

"What happened Captain?" asked the first officer after seeing the Captain. He certainly did not look happy.

"It would appear Q is eager to repeat some his performances here", Captain Riker looked on impassively trying to recollect all of Q's tests, trials and games and found it very hard to distinguish between one or any other. "There's been so many which one specifically?"

"It would seem that Q has also put humanity here on trial too"

"Why on Earth would he do that? There is no apparent reason" inquired Riker with a look of incredulity on his face.

"I agree Number One"

"I think we should pay Q a visit"

"That Will is a very good idea"

In sickbay Q still seemed to be unconscious; "Beverley can you bring him around?"

She cringed. "Are you sure Captain? I for one I don't relish being turned into a dog again"

"He certainly has a lot of explaining to do" stated Riker quite firmly.

"And a lot to answer for"

Bracing for the worst. "What has he done this time?"

"Put humanity here on trial, it's just too damn reminiscent of what he did to us" answered Riker angrily.

"I for one wouldn't want anyone to go through what we did".

Beverley administered the stimulant to wake Q and they were not surprised when nothing happened. In frustration Riker shook him by the shoulders. "Q! Wake up. We're not standing for your tricks anymore".

Yet there was still no response. "Q. I think this little sleigh ride is done with. Time to stop feigning whatever it is you are doing. You really are not fooling anyone"

Slowly Q began to awake. "Hi there Mon Capitan. How are things?" asked the omnipotent cheerily stretching out the once broken arm.

"Why have you put humanity here on trial?"

"Why not? You humans work so much better under pressure"

"What is this supposed to accomplish Q? No one is laughing" whispered Picard in a very calm voice. The omnipotent just rolled his eyes in exasperation and sat up and very calmly thought about how to explain it to a dullard. "You're not supposed to laugh. You're here to learn and maybe expand a little bit quicker than the Federation currently is"

"I thought you said that the Continuum thought we were expanding too fast?" baited Riker.

"Who said anything about the Continuum this time? Perhaps more forward movement is called for"

"Why would we want to do that?" inquired Riker. "We're in no hurry"

"Maybe I am" said Q which stopped everyone in their tracks. He could see that the humans were now taking in his comments more seriously. He needed them to reach Gorsach, preferably before things went really wrong. "Q?" asked Riker more calmly this time. "What is going on?"

"What you're doing here will change the balance of power in your galaxy"

"We're not after power Q. We've proved that" scolded Riker.

"The information you retrieve may very well end your Temporal Cold Wars, for good. It will certainly make things easier for the Q too"

"In what way?" asked Jean-Luc, who was not expecting an answer; all were surprised when he did.

"We may be omnipotent Mon Capitan but not omniscient and these changes are affecting the Q in ways we are just beginning to notice", waiting for them all to look reasonably chastised enough. "If you understood the scope of the changes you wouldn't say that. For example Captain Archer of the original Enterprise made multiple visits to Earth in the past to prevent temporal manipulations"

"That's old history"

"Is it" sneered Q. "Chronologically that only happened yesterday"

"How is that possible?" asked Crusher and Riker in synchronisation.

"Wait. Are you saying Q that these events are so recent in your timeframe and in theory shouldn't have happened at all?"

"I knew there was a reason I hung around Captain"

"Wait that's not enough"

"It's all you're going to get for now" answered Q, "you have a call waiting" he replied and walked out of sickbay. Almost immediately Worfs voice was audible through his badge. "Captain we are receiving a call from the Asgard ship"

"I'll be there shortly" said the Captain who strode down the corridor next to his former first office. "Do you believe Q?"

"I'm not sure Captain"

"Will something about the temporal side of things makes me uneasy" he said as both got into the turbolift.

"Bridge" said Riker to the turbolift. "I guess we'll find out". The doors opened and both stepped onto the bridge.

"On screen"

"Captain" said Thor. "I have spoken to my government and we would like to request your help". _Perhaps this was the 'call' which Q referred to?_ Pulling his uniform one more time observed the diminutive alien, "Of course, what can we do for you?"

"We are a race of clones but this was not always so. Our genetic material is beginning to degenerate and were are experiencing problems when our personalities were downloaded into the newer models"

"Interesting form of immortality" remarked Riker.

"As such we are unable to correct the problem and I saw in your files that you had solved similar such problems"

"I'll put Doctor Crusher on it right away. Can you transfer any files across to us with your data on?" asked Captain Picard.

"I would like to aid your Doctor in this if I may?"

"I'm sure she would welcome the company. We'll beam you across shortly"

"Thank you Captain" said the Supreme Commander of the Asgard race.

Elsewhere Adria was planning as the other Ori had been destroyed. Their ships were getting ready to enter the Gate and they would begin their subjugation of the galaxy belonging to the Ancients. Then once all worshipped with her increased vitality received would allow her to caste down the Ancients from existence.

Thor and Doctor Crusher were busy in Sickbay while the SG-1 team had requested a tour of the Enterprise. "This is remarkable" said an awed Samantha Carter. "It…." She began searching for words. "It just reminds me of an Asgardian vessel in many ways"

"In what way Colonel?" inquired Captain Riker, gesturing with his arm for her party to lead the way.

"Your technology could be very helpful to us against the Ori" added Mitchell hopefully. Teal'c who had been walking behind quite silently nodded and affirmative, "I agree" he said.

Riker who had been waiting for just such a comment, both Captains had briefly discussed it earlier at any rate.

"That might be a problem" he replied and stopped abruptly. "Starfleet has a tenet and it is one of the most important we live by, it's called the 'Prime Directive'". They all turned to look at him as his com bade beeped, tapping it he answered. "Riker here"

"Captain would you join me in my Ready Room in five minutes?" requested the voice of Captain Picard.

"Of course sir" acknowledged Riker. Turning back to his guests Captain Riker answered the unasked question. "The Prime Directive" he began

"Is that sorta like not helping the savages while was bash each other the heads with rocks?" inquired Mitchell a little irreverently.

Riker smiled at the analogy. "Not at all its purpose is twofold. It allows you to govern your society as you see fit and prevents us from interfering in the affairs of other cultures or imposing our ideals" he said informatively. "so it protects us as much as it does you". They turned another corner and arrived at Engineering. "I believe this is what you wanted to see Colonel" remarked Riker. "If you will excuse me" he said. "I have an appointment with the Captain" and off he went.

"I thought he was a Captain too" said Mitchell.

"He is" said Daniel pulling a face, "He served on this ship and Captain Picard was; is in charge even though he's got a promotion".

It was Mitchell who groaned and Samantha looked at the floor. "Er…..why do I feel stupid like I've been lecturing the wrong person?"

"Probably because you have Daniel Jackson" suggested Teal'c helpfully sneaking in a crafty smile.

Riker was sitting with Picard in his Ready Room. "Well Number…." He said, and stopped himself just in time. "I'm sorry. Will what do you think of our guests?"

Casting a wane smile, Riker said, "Interesting, it's almost like looking back into the past. They have all of our tenacity and drive without the guiding influences or wisdom we've learnt in the centuries". Jean-Luc smiled too agreeing with the assessment. "In fact they've already asked about acquiring technology".

Captain Picard looked up sharply. "Really?"

"They mentioned something about the Ori and the Goa'uld. What with showing our guests around I've not had the opportunity to fully read the reports"

"They make quite fascinating reading Will" he said deciding to divert the subject briefly and walked to the replicator. "Will?"

"Tea please Captain". Two Earl Greys appeared in cups and Jean-Luc handed one cup to his former First Officer.

"Will now that you're a Captain it wouldn't hurt for you to find a slight eccentricity" remarked Picard nodding his head towards his mug. "This is mine".

Rubbing where his beard used to be thoughtfully, he smiled good naturedly, "I just might". He closed his eyes and let the smell of the tea permeate through his nasal passages. "What about Thor?"

"After reading most of our history he seemed only too eager to reciprocate" said Picard taking a sip. "In fact we've only just finished downloading his files and they seem to share many of ideals and beliefs"

"Sometimes Jean-Luc I find it remarkable. In our own universe we have the likes of the Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians who are on our backdoor step so to speak. They do not really appreciate our ideals and we travel to another universe to encounter others like us. I can sort of see why Q might find some kind of perverse pleasure in it".

Picard smiled at Will. "Was I being a little bombastic Jean-Luc?"

"A little, call it Captains prerogative"

Colonel Samantha Carter was helping Geordie in Engineering. He found it highly _odd_ that someone from three hundred years ago aiding in the installation of the Asgardian drive system was ahead of anything the Federation had. So grateful was Thor for their help he had insisted, refusing to no as answer.

Secretly he was looking forward to beating Voyager as the fastest ship on record again, although in truth the NCC1701-D still held that honour courtesy of the Traveller and probably would for quite a while. Geordie genuflected that it would be good to have an alternative to Warp drive which in its current incarnation was causing subspace disruption.

"Captain" said La Forge. "We're ready"

"Okay" said Picard. "Engage". Geordie watched the consoles in Engineering and pressed the button to initiate the new superluminal drive. On the Bridge they saw the gravimetric distortion ahead and using impulse entered the anomaly. After ten seconds Jean-Luc's came over the intercom system. "Okay Geordie, disengage and let's see how far we've come" he said and within moments another vortex appeared before them and the ship emerged into normal space.

"Con. Give me co-ordinates" Commanded Captain Riker. "How far did we travel?"

"According to the star charts approximately one thousand light years"

Riker was incredulous and his face showed surprise. "One thousand light years, that's some drive" whistled Riker enthusiastically.

"Another anomaly appearing off to port, it's the Asgard and Earth ship arriving". The crew went about daily routine checking for any signs of damage or wear and tear upon the new Enterprise. Alarms went wild all over as three battleships appeared. "They match the vessel specification given by the Asgard as Ori battleships. Their weapons and shields are raised and commencing attack formation" reported Worf from Tactical.

"Try to hail then Commander" said Riker. "Maybe they might be friendly" he remarked as the ship shook from weapons fire. "Guess not" Will grouched and continued to 'fill in' as First Office until they returned to Federation space.

"Evasive manoeuvres Beta 7"

"Fire a spread of Quantum Torpedoes. See if that doesn't slow them down"

Thor matched the Enterprise, unsurprised when their Quantum Torpedoes impacted with the Ori shields followed by Phaser fire while his own ship followed suit. Scanners told him the Daedelus was taking a pounding and his ship turned trying to protect the recently upgraded Earth ship. The brief time he spent with Doctor Crusher might well mean the Asgard as race did not have to die, their medical database vast full of interspecies interaction. _The implications were profound_, plus he had the urge to explore Federation space and in his opinion they'd seen Earth as a representation of the Ancients and hoped they would be again. Only they had looked in the wrong universe as worry griped him diminutive frame whether the people of this Earth were fully ready for all their technology. The huge Asgard vessel shook again as it took blasts from two Ori battleships.

Colonel Caldwell watched the Enterprise make manoeuvres he only dreamed his ship was capable of. Consoles exploded around him.

"Maintain fire on the nearest Ori vessel, see if we can weaken its shields" he shouted.

"Shields are down to fifty percent" Sam shouted back.

"We cannot maintain this kind of pounding Colonel"

"I know that Mitchell" griped Caldwell. "Prepare to retreat. Signal the Enterprise and the Asgard"

"Shields down to eighty percent and holding" groused Worf at Tactical fingers almost a blur on the controls trying to maintain targets. His fingers hit another control as the multiple Phaser blasts stabbed into the darkness striking the shields of an Ori vessel. "The shields of the nearest Ori ship are down to ten percent" he said as several Science consoles exploded, briefly and covered his face to avoid shrapnel.

"Concentrate all fire on that ship Mister Worf" barked Riker. "Tell the Dedaelus and the Asgard to do the same"

"Incoming transmission, the Dedaelus is about to retreat"

"Damn!" cursed Jean-Luc.

"Perhaps we should do the same if this continues?" suggested Riker.

"Sir the Asgard ship is firing"

"Fire" said Jean-Luc. Worf obeyed the order of a senior officer, fingers active on the pad.

Just as the Dedaelus was about to enter subspace the light of an Ori vessel exploding caused all three a slight amount of relief. "Pull us back from the brink. Engage the Ori" ordered Caldwell changing his previous command, amazed an Ori vessel had been destroyed. "Let's give the Enterprise and Asgard some cover fire" Woops of joy came from the bridge.

"Give 'em hell" shouted Mitchell supportively. Once more the Dedaelus was back in the fight.

Adria was absolutely furious. In fact she was angry enough to lay waste to a nearby habited planet, if they were near one that is. A flash of light appeared and a figure appeared. "Who are you?" she asked, waves of power emanating from her. The dark haired human seemed to be brushing dust of his black uniform with blue shoulder lapels. Eventually the waves of power stopped. "Aaaaah good" said the human. "Wondered whether you'd stop that, I was getting rather bored" he remarked jovially. He wandered around looking at the soldiers, yet ignoring both. Some raised weapons and pointed them in his direction. "That's it. Stand proud man!" he barked. "Don't you find the colours rather drab?" inquired the mystery man.

"Who are you?" shouted Adria hoping her tones of authority would work. He just went to a console and pressed a few buttons. One member tried to stop him and vanished into thin air. "Where is he?" she inquired.

"Mmmmmm……the best way to explain it to your limited intellect would be….gone"

"Not acceptable" she shouted and tried to extend her powers into the beings mind.

He wagged his finger at her. "Tut…tut" he said. "That just isn't nice". She got more infuriated and attempted to throw him across the room using telekinesis. Nothing happened. A Prior approached and attempted to aid Adria using his mental skills. "Mistress Orici let me" insisted the Prior eager to show his devoutness. The being just clicked his fingers and the Prior was transmuted into a beetle; which he then stamped on. "Perhaps that is clear enough for you?" Adria took a step back appalled by the ease with which this being overpowered her; an Orici and a Prior. "What? Who are you?" she stammered.

"Guess you're a ship down" said Q. "Picard and his band of merry men are getting the better of you" stated the omnipotent smiling at his own joke.

"You will fall before the might of the Ori" she pronounced.

"You mean those overblown clowns some of which became Prophets of Bajor? Not bloody likely" said Q. "No don't bother trying to understand" announced Q. "It's all about timelines". Adria really did not understand and hoped that maybe if she passed the information onto the Ori they could decipher it. "Look it's like this" said Q using tones which he used to address a child. He was trying to ponder how to explain it to an imbecile.

"You see the Vorlons wanted to impose their own version of reality where they retain guardianship of the Galaxy" began Q noticing Adria was about to interrupt and raised a hand to silence her. "Sadly all blissfully unaware that Time is like water and all the possible timelines would come to pass anyway. All rather sad really" he said. "Lots of wasted effort on many sides". Adria thought this mysterious being had inadvertently let something slip.

"No the Vorlons won't help you" said Q helpfully. "Frankly I'm amazed they haven't wiped out your fleet already. They don't like others messing in their backyard". She watched the being _obviously not a human_ showing knowledge even the Ori didn't possess. "Mistress a ship has appeared from some kind of subspace anomaly"

"Oooops spoke too soon" said Q. "That's the Vorlons and they don't look happy. Now's the time to run" suggested the omnipotent helpfully.

"Engage hyperspace" ordered Adria.

An amber coloured anomaly appeared and a ship sped through. "Sir that ship matches no known specifications although the sensors show that the technology does bare similarities to Species 8472" said Worf.

"What would they be doing here?" inquired Riker worriedly.

"Hailing frequencies Mister Worf". All watched in horror as the vessel opened fire on the Ori vessel, destroying it utterly, one shot. Within moments another amber anomaly opened up and it was gone. "What the hell is going on?"

They had followed the Asgard and the Dedaelus back to Earth. The days had been busy with repairing damages.

Picard was sitting in his Ready Room looking at the information gained from Thor. Apparently the conduit that brought them here was still active which meant they could return at any time; but that was a two way street he thought.

Back on Earth Colonel Caldwell was awaiting orders from General Langdry and whether he was to return to Atlantis.

Q had been busy for days, but like anything else time was relative – to the rest of the universe no time had actually passed. He was trying to understand what had gone wrong earlier in Engineering, on what was a seemingly simple voyage into another universe. He watched himself watching himself time and again, relieving the moment - almost and it was as if he was distracted, no catatonic somehow but that was impossible. Very strange the last time a Q had been catatonic had been almost 2 billion years ago when they had aided the Ancients during the Million Year War.

Several cubes arrived at an uninhabited planet and began to scan the surrounding area.

They heard someone slap their forehead and turned to look at the sound. Q sat on the chair mournfully. "You just don't get it do you?" he said seriously. Picard didn't bother to turn around and despite years of trying just could not forget the voice not sure if that was a boon or regret. "The 21st Century is when every changes" explained Q eloquently. "An Earth agency called Torchwood knew that; the Time Lords had been engineering your future for decades unfortunately they didn't count on the Q preventing their plans"

"Who are the Time Lords?" piped Daniel.

"I have never heard of them either" remarked Thor.

"What plans?" asked Picard.

"I wouldn't worry about them they're dead" he spat venomously. "Well all but two anyway" said Q flippantly. He watched each of them intently and hoped they were going to understand. Noticing Jean-Luc was about to repeat the question he diverted the topic quickly. "What is the single most important event in Federation history?" he asked turning to both starship captains.

"Zephram Cochrane's first warp flight"

"Yes! Yes" scolded Q irritably. "Before that"

"What are you getting at?" asked Picard gently - "The Third World War?"

"Exactly!" shouted Q triumphantly standing to address the others. "It's all about timelines crossing into and becoming one another"

"Are you saying that this could still happen here?"

Q stood there dumfounded his favourite little pet was finally on his way to understanding and did the only reasonable thing; he clapped "Bravisimo. Yes Jean-Luc that is exactly what I'm saying"

"Don't we get a say in this?" asked Daniel. "I mean what if we prevent it?"

"Then it won't happen and the timeline will progress normally" admonished Q.

"Do you know what will happen?"

"Yes Colonel Mitchell I do know what happens in your future, but if I told you that would ruin the surprise" lied the Omnipotent who knew things were about to rapidly begin to change. Mitchell sat there aghast at the information and observed Samantha Carter wrinkling her brow trying to puzzle things through. He raised a hand. "I have a question" he remarked. "What if the war happens?"

"Then you'll all die" sneered Q. "Perhaps the reason for the war is more important and a greater concern?"

"Alright Q astound me" said Riker equally sarcastically leaning back in his chair.

Q shook his head sadly. "An AI called SkyNet is put online by the military which then wipes out humanity deciding it is superfluous as it is able to create upgrades without You" said Q pointing at all of the humans present. "This leads to several other branches. If you fail to stop SkyNet within twenty years it creates a virtual reality many years later called the Matrix where humans are used as power sources" said Q looking to make sure he had every ones attention. "The second branch in the timeline is where the AI is stopped, as in destroyed" continued Q, "This creates the third branch the possibility of your future" said Q gesturing at Picard; "or" he said "The fourth is the future that humankind to nearly get exterminated by the Mimbari and Babylon 5 is built to create peace"

"We've never heard of the Mimbari" said Riker.

"Wait a minute" shouted Daniel triumphantly. "That means they must exist here and now" reasoned Daniel. "And in their universe" he said gesturing at Riker.

"For an ape archaeologist you really are quite intelligent" said Q. "Picard you really do have a lot in common with Daniel here other than hairline"

"Er….thank you I think" interrupted Daniel

"We've never heard of SkyNet or the Mimbari" said Samantha

"We don't have any AI's that powerful let alone then"

"There are some inconsistencies here" said Picard. Q sometimes wondered why he bothered, I mean really hoping they would understand was like trying to…….he was trying to find an apt metaphor. Oh yes teach a Klingon to write or a Goa'uld to give up its god complex. _Stupid mortals_. Q looked at Riker. "You were more intelligent with the beard" he quipped. "About twenty years after the war the Klingons attempted to wipe out the Mimbari and they had a border dispute with the Romulans over it; so both exterminated the Mimbari as a compromise. The Mimbari weren't too pleased about it and put up quite a fight". Taking a rather unnecessary breath he continued.

"The Vorlons were going to intervene but their nemesis was not far away and they had no choice but to retreat to avoid another premature war"

Silence descended on the room. Maybe they were beginning to understand; all of them. This set Q thinking about another conundrum. Some being had erected it a temporal barrier one hundred millennia in the Federation's future and all the Q had tried to breach it without success. A theory was that one of their future selves had done so but it didn't smell Q; another theory was that _they_ had, the Federation to prevent Q intervention. He, Q, had been selected to live in linear time in the hopes of being able to enter what they had called the 'Great Temporal Barrier' along with the native. Q was ever hopeful. _All it got him so far were 18 billion years of boredom_. They were continuing to discuss the situation and he couldn't be bothered to listen anymore, mainly because something a little more urgent crossed his awareness. Well several things actually. One the Preservers were watching a potential catastrophe unfold and so was the first living being in the universe – Lorien. The 'catastrophe was that the Borg had reached the planet that Stargate command called P3R-272.

Q had very little choice but to listen or they would make his life hell.

"It's your fault" lambasted one of the Preservers.

"I quite agree" scolded Lorien. "Your quest to advance the Federation faster than it should is quite……futile" he said choosing just the right word. Q did the human equivalent of extreme embarrassment and went red in the face; this unforeseen energy outburst caused the nearby planet of Centauri Prime to be fried by gamma radiation giving all the inhabitants a slight tan.

"What are you worried about" blathered Q. "It's not like the Alterans were that advanced"

"The Asgard believe it may contain infinite knowledge" mocked the Preserver.

"Oh and you're going to believe a bunch of small grey children who can't cure their own reproductive problem. Give me strength" moaned Q. The omnipotent preened himself slightly like a Peacock. "We all know" said Q "that the Asgardian belief about the database is such a bunch doodah"

"That's as maybe Q but it is irresponsible to allow the Borg access"

"Doesn't that depend on which Borg it is?" asked Q and departed.

Picard used to spend a lot of time in his Ready Room, alone but since all the senior staff had started to play poker and in effect interact a little more they had become a family. _It is sad_ thought Picard that two were departing to the Titan and another and begun on the _great journey_ as he called it. They were on their way towards the 'Supergate' with the Dedaelus and the Asgard ship while he pondered the Vorlons in the Astrometrics Lab.

"What about over there" suggested Samantha and Daniel in unison.

"This is like looking for a needle in a haystack"

"It would help if we knew who or what the Vorlons were" said Daniel.

"That's the problem" stated Sam. "We just have no idea". It was then Sam and Jean-Luc saw a look in Daniel's eyes. One that Data got often when an idea occurred to him. "Oh no" cautioned Sam. "No way it's just too dangerous"

"What is it?" inquired Jean-Luc gently. "If you have an idea why don't you share and let us discuss the risks".

"The Ancient Database on P3R-272"

"What does it do?"

Daniel looked at Jean-Luc and yet couldn't stop himself getting slightly flustered. "It downloads their entire database into your mind, sometimes with dangerous results" The senior officers were gathered in the Conference Lounge with SG-1 and Thor.

"It seems Daniel has had the idea of using the Ancient Database to find information about the Vorlons" said Picard straightening his uniform. "But there are dangers"

"It could kill whomever tries it by overloading their synapses" said Sam.

"Perhaps an intermediary then?" suggests Riker.

"I agree. Is it possible to build a device to access this database and search for the information we need"

"And to download as much as possible" reminded Mitchell ever searching to attain greater technology for Earth.

"Exactly" replied Geordie who then pressed another couple of buttons on his PADD.

"As long as we get equal share on the spoils" said Mitchell.

"We wouldn't keep anything from you" reassured Thor. "After everything you've done in this galaxy and for us".

"I've also found something out about these new drives courtesy of Thor and the Asgard"

Both Riker and Picard sat up quickly. "Good news?"

"Absolutely" enthused the Chief of Engineering. "I think this data could be the missing link for both Slipstream and Transwarp drive and with a bit of time, say maybe a few years, I might figure it out myself"

Picard smiled and leant forward. "Would it be possible to outfit a shuttlecraft to travel the conduit and inform the Federation of our intentions?"

"I've been over some of the reports from Geordie and I believe the answer is yes Captain" replied Riker.

"Good make it so"

Q who was growing extremely bored and materialised a nail file and began a bit of cuticle hygiene.

The time to the planet could not pass quick enough for any of them, Q included. He watched discreetly from the _Ether_. Geordie was busy with Sam and Thor building an interface for the Ancient Device. Time for then ticked incredibly slowly as each addition and subsequent simulation failed.

"If only Data were here" uttered the Chief of Engineering reflexively. "We could interface him directly"

_Pure genius_ thought Q. _Data_ and with a wave of his hand he appeared.

Data appeared in a Q flash unharmed and undamaged. "Captain this is Engineering; I think you need to come here right away"

"Is there a problem" inquired Riker urgently.

"Data's back and I think we know who is responsible" responded Geordie, to which Picard looked around sharply.

"On our way"

Data looked around and observed the shocked faces. The last he remembered was the explosion aboard Shinzon's vessel which should have destroyed him; but here he was.

Q returned to Picards' universe at the exact moment he left and watched the results of his handiwork. He saw the Federation grow faster than he would have ever thought possible; using the technology of the Ancients not one but two universes joined in an endeavour to expand beyond the stars.

The Temporal Accords and Directives came in, all within Jean-Luc's life time for like the Vorlons the Ancients possessed limited immortality by using anti-agathics in the form of nanites. In theory by 2479 the Federation would be in the Delta Quadrant but they were already expanding across the whole galaxy. It took very little time for them to reach the Andromeda and find the remains of the Galactic Empire which had either fallen into ruin or left the galaxy due to the extremely high radiation levels - like the Kelvin had a century ago in Kirk's time.

In ten thousand years they were spread across a dozen galaxies and began to find the remains of the Gallifreyan civilisation; the unfortunate result of another war – the Time War which had shocked the Q and the Eternals, the results of the war sent ripples across the universe to the very beginning and end of time itself.

Before Q knew it a hundred millennia had past and he was through the Great Temporal Barrier. It was as he expected the universe very similar to before no real changes except….._what is this?_ Q saw that the Preservers, Metrons, Organians, Dowud, Loriens people were all gone. _Impossible!_ He sent a message to the Continuum who immediately investigated. The only reports came back is that they had gone; but no one knew where.

Standing in one of the higher dimensions another appeared next to him. It was a human of average height and build, hair was in serious need of a good comb, not that it would have done you much good. "We've been waiting a long time for you" he said in a voice full of melody and amusement.

Q reached out with his senses and found the being ordinary and _yet something about him_. "Who are you?"

He smiled, "I am the human kind god made manifest". This caused Q to burst out laughing. Unable to resist, "I suppose this is where you smite me or something?"

"Hardly" answered the being smiling back. "Let me explain" began the god and Q recognising a monologue when it was about to begin – Picard did it often enough, so he did the only thing possible, got comfy. "Every god that expounds compassion and love are all aspects of Me"

"That sounds familiar" said Q remembering the 'One' who had been imprisoned long ago and had started Monotheism on Earth and many worlds. He sat and thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps" he mused. "But that doesn't answer my question"

Face impassive, "I hadn't quite finished" interrupted the deity. "Many cultures were right for I am triune in nature. One intellect, one part empathy and one part void which binds"

"I can be empathic" said Q, "I just chose not to be"

He walked and in doing so covered light years speeding across the comsos. "But there are still some mysteries beyond even the Q"

"Such as?" retorted Q. "Nothing is beyond us" exclaimed the omnipotent proudly puffing out his chest.

"If only that were true" the god expounded. "Have not the Q have observed light departing the dead? Yet for thousands of years after you sought to uncover the mystery, many initially believed it to be souls but your early testing revealed it held no personality and you were unable to probe anymore". If he had synapses they would be firing wildly as the Q think across temporal and dimensional zones all at once. "There's no such thing as souls" said Q sadly. "A minor bend in space time nothing more" continued the omnipotent glibly. "As the energy departs the organism at death it disperses across the known dimensions"

"You are correct there are no souls, we are all temporary and frail and once we are gone we are truly gone" said the god. "But that is what makes the Q imperative to my plan, don't you see?" cried the being in frustration.

"All beings from the smallest amoeba to the very largest; the energy contains all their knowledge and experience"

The revelation hit Q like a black hole between the eyes and that had a tendency to smart. It was all starting to make a perverted kind of sense and it grated on his nerves that Picard had been right all those years ago about humanity and the Federation about evolving into something beyond the Q. In frustration he kicked a star sending it spinning off into space at superluminal velocities.

"Was that really necessary?" It seemed impossible, that it was his fault somehow for interfering in their development. _Damn!_ He cursed himself. Q the Trickster, Q the Rebeller, Q the Seeker. _Q the Prat_.

"Don't put yourself down Q". The being gestured and a table and chairs appeared. "Would it soften the blow for you to know we gathered the lost lives of al the Q including Quinn?" he consoled. He looked up visibly shocked.

"Really!" he exclaimed without meaning to.

The revelations coming hard and fast now, they would have far reaching impact on the Continuum in the years to come. Not only did all beings survive death in some way but so too did the Q. Maybe there was no personality and by definition no consciousness but…….gathering the remains after death across all of time. Such an undertaking was far beyond the Q, not just one but all of them. It made what he did kind of pointless and superfluous.

"I'm sorry for this next comment". The being looked at the omnipotent a face full of sadness. "I have only enough power to gather the dead from within what is now Federation Space; no farther. My aim is to gather it from across the whole universe; past and future". Q tried to work his simulacrums mouth and it failed several times. Unfortunately it had the side effect of making Q look like he was having either a stroke or epileptic fit as his face twitched uncontrollably.

Once the mouth did work he had trouble forming a coherent sentence.

"But…but…but"

"Something is gathering the kernels at death across the whole cosmos and it isn't Me. There is no other". The god watched the Federation ships explore dimensions and galaxies at speeds that would have seemed impossible without the Traveller.

"Thus I need the Q to empower me sufficiently to evolve and thus become able to do so, or risk one hell of a temporal paradox. Will you and the Q help me?" inquired the being worriedly. "Touch my hand Q, experience the unity just briefly" he pleaded and held out a hand. "It will be momentary, inside me are Loriens' people the Organians; all those you had found missing".

Q reached out a hand and experienced the sensation and pulled his hand back at superluminal velocities. Then ran as fast as his metaphorical legs would carry him; across the cosmos to the safety of the Continuum. Eyes turned at his arrival and without stopping went to the home of Mrs Q and their now grown up son. He sat down dumfounded and it wasn't long before every Q in the Continuum was drumming on his door; wanting to know what had happened. He spoke to both his mate and son briefly and he couldn't cope with a Q discussion with the others right now. Neither he not his mate knew what to do; both had forgotten q junior was fully Q.

One thing he would never do is to give up his individuality – it was quite frankly abhorrent to the Q Continuum. That was why they had developed differently to the Organians who had a Collective consciousness of sorts. The Q treasured their 'self' too much. _Could it be? _He thought. He ruminated a second, the whole reason for the Civil War had been boredom, seen everything and done everything. "_Nothing new", _he could almost hear Quinn saying those words again. That was why the Q had become stagnant, lack of growth, unwillingness to expand and maybe give up _self? _The concept was staggering. _No please _he thought and realised it had become a form of prayer.

"Dad, Mom don't you get it" he cried. "If that god is love, you both had a love of change, testing the limits of not just other species but of the Continuum itself"

"What are you saying?" his mother inquired.

"You both loved each other and your love of change and need to end the war and I am the result. Mom, dad love is change". Both adult Q's looked at their son and if they had been human blood would drained from their faces. The family looked at one another and saw the god standing besides them. "Your decision has been reached?"

"Yes it has, time for us to evolve" said Q resignedly, a tremble in his voice showing the obvious fear and trepidation.

"What about them?" Mrs Q inquired, meaning the Continuum.

The god smiled. "Why do not think they stopped knocking on the door, I let them see everything transpiring in here and they are afraid just as you are"

"Shall we begin?" asked Q tears rolling down his cheeks and grabbing the hand of his wife and son - waiting for whatever was about to happen.

The Q evolved and changed; and by taking on their uniqueness, power and knowledge the god changed and become the Final Mind.

A lone galaxy that was completely uninhabited exploded and their effort began.

Somewhere deep beyond their perception the entity called Nyarlathotep laughed uncontrollably and knew his manipulation of the Q had turned out okay.

The End.


End file.
